Toyota 86 GTS auto 2017 review | road test video
- Price From $38,790
- ANCAP
- Seats4
- Fuel cons.7.1L/100km (combined)
What we like
- Spunky looking Toyota
- Affordable rear drive sports cars are rare
- Reasonably frugal on fuel
What we don't
- Handling package not as good as last one
- Engine noise not pleasant
- Very small interior
Key features
- 5 Star Safety
Tim Robson road tests and reviews the new Toyota 86 GTS automatic with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.
When it launched back in 2012 – hell, when it was rumoured five years previous to that – the car world fell in love with the idea of the Toyota 86.
What was not to love? The most conservative giant in the automotive industry had produced a small, cute, affordable sports car. With rear-wheel drive! And great steering! It was a revelation not just for those who loved cars, but for the industry as a whole. The fun car still had a place.
You see, cars like the 86 don’t make the company a great deal of money, and if it wasn’t for the concerted efforts of Toyota’s top man, Akio Toyoda, the 86 would never have seen the light of day.
2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.2017 Toyota 86 GTS. Image credit: Tim Robson.As it is, the company can sell more Corollas in Australia in a month than the 86 managed for the whole of 2016.
Five years on, though… and the game has changed. Or, more to the point, the 86 hasn’t really changed all that much since the heady days of 2012. Other makers like Ford and Mazda have put out small, affordable cars that are just as much fun, so is the 86 still as relevant today as it was five years ago?
Verdict
In 2012, the Toyota 86 was the king of affordable sports cars. In 2017, reality has set in. Up against a renewed challenge from the fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 and from others like the Ford Fiesta ST, the 86 is no longer in the same league.
And Toyota’s hands are tied with the car. Its biggest markets are Japan, the UK and Australia – it hasn’t fired in the US or Europe, so interest in building the cult of 86 - via turbocharged versions or stripped-out track day specials - is minimal at best.
For the enthusiast looking for a pure backroad plaything that can do the commute to work, the 86 no longer really works; it’s too compromised as a daily driver but it no longer offers the same visceral thrills it once did.
I’m actually a bit heartbroken.
Do you share Robbo's Toyota 86 pain? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Specifications
- PriceFrom $38,790
- Fuel consumption7.1L/100km (combined), 164g/km CO2 Tank 50L
- Safety5-star ANCAP
- Seats4
- Warranty3 years/100,000km
- Service Interval9 months/15,000km
- Engine1.998L 4-cyl premium unleaded, 147kW/205Nm
- Transmission6-spd automatic, RWD
- SpareSpace saver
- Turning circle10.8m diameter
- Dimensions4240mm (L), 1775mm (W), 1285mm (H)
Toyota 86 GTS auto 2017 review | road test video
What we like
- Spunky looking Toyota
- Affordable rear drive sports cars are rare
- Reasonably frugal on fuel
What we don't
- Handling package not as good as last one
- Engine noise not pleasant
- Very small interior
Key Features
- 5 Star Safety
Sponsored
Comments